The defender has played the past two seasons for the Whitecaps and his third season was cut short when he injured his Achilles just six minutes into the game against Toronto FC.

Jay DeMerit doesn’t blame the Whitecaps medical staff for the ruptured Achilles tendon he sustained during last weekend's opener and says he plans to return instead of retiring. (AP Photo)

“I was dealing with (tendonitis) for almost a month before the actual rupture happened,” DeMerit told reporters in speaking the first time Saturday since the injury. “From that standpoint it was something we were monitoring closely. Hindsight’s very easy for us and I know the medical department felt very hard done by as well. As a team, as a group, we make decisions. The injury itself, in terms of the signs it was showing, showed signs of tendonitis, and if I could play with the pain, then I could play.”

DeMerit is the in the final year of his contract, according to mlssoccer.com, and the 33-year-old admitted that retirement did enter his mind before he decided to rehab and return.

“You always think about that stuff – do you want to go through these types of things?” DeMerit said. “But that’s not really in my personality. I don’t really think that way when my sensible head prevails normally…for me, it’s about getting back and playing again, and I’ll go off (when I eventually retire) on my own terms.”